At least 13 people died and more than 30 others sustained injuries in separate road accidents across the country in the past 24 hours.

Eight people died and six others were injured, some critically, when a jeep carrying a wedding procession crashed at Gaumukhi Rural Municipality of Pyuthan district on Saturday morning. The vehicle swerved off the road and plunged around 150 metres below at around 1am, said police.

The fatal accident took place while the wedding attendants were returning home to Liwang from Lung village carrying the bride. Both the bride and the groom sustained injuries in the incident.

Police identified the deceased as Basanta Bahadur Khadka, his wife Basanti and daughter Elish, Khim Bahadur Khatri, Keshari Khadka, Nandi Khadka, Bipana GC and jeep driver Bal Bahadur Budha.

According to the District Police Office in Pyuthan, six of the victims died on the spot while two died on their way to the district hospital. The injured were referred to Butwal after receiving primary treatment at the district hospital.

“It seems that the accident took place as the driver tried to avoid a boulder on the road. The edge of the road soaked by rain caved in and the vehicle fell off,” said Deputy Superintendent of Police Satya Narayan Thapa.

Thapa said the number of casualties was high as the victims were not rescued immediately.

“I was stuck on the cliff for a long time. I did not have my phone with me so I shouted for help. The villagers came to know of the incident after quite a while. So many people died due to a lack of timely rescue,” said Dan Bahadur Khadka, the groom who survived the crash.

It was raining when the incident took place.

“The rescue was difficult as the accident took place at night and it was raining,” said Thapa. Security personnel and the local people rescued the victims and rushed them to the district hospital.

Seven of the deceased are from Liwang village in Gaumukhi Rural Municipality. The villagers, who were eagerly waiting to welcome the bride, are in deep mourning now.

“The entire settlement is in mourning. The tragic accident took place due to slippery roads caused by rains,” said Bishnu Kumar Giri, the chairman of Gaumukhi Rural Municipality. According to him, the rural municipality has decided to provide Rs 50,000 to the bereaved families of each deceased.

In Sunsari, three people died and 27 others sustained injuries when a bus and a truck collided at Khuniya bridge in Jhokraha Narsingh Rural Municipality-3 on Friday night. Both the vehicles caught fire after the collision.

According to the Province 1 Police Office in Biratnagar, bus driver Saroj Rai of Jhapa, truck driver Sheikh Firoz of Bara and bus passenger Nihal Pradhan of West Bengal in India died in the incident. The injured are receiving treatment at various health facilities in Sunsari and Morang.

Similarly, two persons died when a Bolero jeep swerved off the road and fell around 500 metres below at Biruwa Rural Municipality-3 in Syangja. Police identified the deceased as driver Bel Bahadur Thapa and his assistant Bhesh Bahadur Thapa of Biruwa-3. The bodies of the victims, who were out of contact since Friday night, were found by the local people on Saturday morning.

(With input from local correspondents.)